Theology

Paris: Didot Junior, Typographiae Fratris Regis, 1788. Tree Calf with morocco spine, 13 1/2 inches tall. A magnificent and most unusual French 18th century binding with a straight grain morocco binding with two green calf labels and wonderful gilt floral tooling. A superb gilt vine roll frames the boards. Lovely printed bookseller's ticket on the paste down end paper. Engraved title page and frontispiece. Pristine condition. In the original Latin. Since its first printing in 1471-2, 'The Imitation of Christ' has remained one of the most enduring and popular of all Christian devotional works.

London: Robinson, 1786. Full calf, 10 1/2 inches tall. A splendid copy of this scarce work with the elaborate bookplate of the Earls of Londonderry at Wynyard Park in full 18th century calf with gilt bands in the Etruscan key style, red label and blue edges. Complete with folding map and 18 plates. A remarkable volume with splendid provenance.

Paris: L. Curmer, 1861. Full morocco, 13.25 inches tall. An extraordinary binding by Riviere with gilt titles to the spine and both boards and extraordinary blind tooling to the panels, boards and doublures. Vellum endpapers. All edges gilt. This is the text volume, red ruled throughout, and is offered WITHOUT the Plates. In 'Fine and Historic Bookbindings from the Folger Shakespeare Library', published in 1992 a very similar binding is described and illustrated (page 222, item 14:5). It is described as 'a Pastiche of a 16th Century Panel-Stamped Binding by Riviere and Son, c.1881'.

London: William Pickering, 1844. Full morocco, 9 1/2 inches tall. An extraordinary and magnificent full hard grain morocco by Catherall & Pritchard with gilt raised bands, ornate gilt tooling to the panels and boards, gilt dentelles and all edges gauffered. Unpaginated, including facsimile title page and colophon of Richard Grafton (1550), printed in red and black throughout. Ornamental initials and woodcut headbands and musical notations. Light foxing. From the library, and with the bookplate of, R.H.L.-C. de Beaumont.

A reprint of a volume of selections from the 'Book of Common Prayer' as set to music by John Marbecke (or Merbecke). First printed in 1550 by Richard Grafton, and here reprinted by Charles Whittingham at the Chiswick Press.

Augsburg (Augustae Vindelicorum): Sumptibus ignatii adami & Francisci Antonii Veith, 1759. 6 volume set, 14.5 inches tall. Full vellum, dating from the middle of the 18th century with gilt tooled labels and unusual pink and green edges. The Codex Regularum, created in Aachen in 817, was designed by Benedict to restore the strict observation of monastic life which had been relaxed over recent centuries. Complete sets in contemporary bindings are scarce. There is some scuffing and staining to the vellum, in particular at the tails of each volume but there is no splitting and the bindings are in excellent condition. 2 bookplates. In the original Latin.

London: Scott, Webster, & Geary, 1839. 4 volume set, 9 inches tall. In a magnificent Victorian full calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and superb extra-gilt tooling to the panels. Twin gilt fillets frame the boards. With an engraved frontispiece and 22 engraved portraits. Slight foxing to the plates and the preliminaries, otherwise clean. From the library of George Capron of Southwick Hall. An extremely smart set of this classic history of the Reformation of the Church of England by this great historian, philosopher and theologian.

London: James Duncan, 1834. 6 volumes, 8 1/2 inches tall. Two fine sets in uniform early Victorian full calf with gilt raised bands, gilt tooling to the panels and twin labels. Blind fillets and corner tools frame the boards. Portrait. Foxing to the preliminaries and then clean. From the recently dispersed Country House library of Bridehead in Dorset.

Leyden: Elzevir, 1658. Full morocco, 5 1/4 inches tall. A beautiful binding with gilt raised bands, delicate gilt tooling to the panels, triple fillet framing the boards and gilt dentelles and all edges. A tiny ink inscription on the reverse of the free endpaper. With the bookplate of Geoffrey Aspin who attributes the binding to Masson-Debonelle. A superb little Elzevir edition in excellent condition. In Latin.

Delft et Leiden: Beman et Samuel Luchtmans, 1729. Full morocco, 8.5 inches tall. A glorious binding by Clarke & Bedford with gilt raised bands, superb gilt tooling around a pomegranate centre tool, dentelles quadruple gilt fillet framing the boards. All edges gilt over marble. Engraved frontispiece and title page. A superb copy of these dialogues on many and various subjects, hugely influential on Christian Humanists, by the greatest scholar of the northern Renaissance. In the original Latin.

London: Arthur L. Humphreys, 1902. Full morocco, 6 1/2 inches tall. A superb full crushed morocco with raised bands, simple, yet very pleasing, geometric gilt tooling to the panels and boards. With gilt dentelles and all edges. Beautifully printed by Humphreys on handmade paper. A wonderful edition of this great devotional work.

London: Longman and Co., et al., 1838. 4 volume set, 8 3/4" tall. A classic Victorian full calf by the great firm of Hayday with raised bands, twin labels, and neat gilt tooling to the panels. Twin gilt fillets, one blind fillet and gilt corner tools frame the boards. Portrait. A handsome set of the works of the highly influential 18th century theologian, William Paley, mostly remembered for his work on natural theology and ethics.

Edinburgh: Sutherland and Knox and London: Hamilton, Adams, and Co., 1850. 4 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall, A classic Victorian full calf by Hatchards of Piccadilly with gilt raised bands, twin labels and ornate gilt tooling to the panels. An ink inscription dated Christmas Day, 1850 on the third blank. From the country house 'Bride Head' Library. With 2 engraved portraits and 4 engraved title pages. A fine set on the life of the great Scottish economist and churchman, Thomas Chalmers, by his sin-in-law.

La Haye (The Hague): Adrian Moetjens, 1682. 2 volumes bound in 1, 5.5 inches tall. A beautiful late 19th century full straight grain calf with raised bands, extra gilt panels and very fine and ornate gilt tooling to the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Watered silk doublures and free endpapers. From the Robert J. Hayhurst collection. In the original French.

Glasgow: William Collins, 1841. Full morocco, 7 inches tall. A lovely bright hard grain morocco for Hatchards with raised bands, and very fine gilt tooling to the panels and boards. There is a neat ink on the free endpaper 'Mary Cornelia S(?) from dear Lady Corbet. 1846'. M.C.S. has her initials and coronet on the upper board. Gauffered edges. Slight foxing to the preliminaries, then clean. A fine copy.

London: At the Chiswick Press for the Paris Académie Des Bibliophiles, 1868. Full morocco, 8 inches tall. A superb full straight grain morocco with gilt raised bands and very fine and rich gilt tooling to the panels and boards. With gilt dentelles and all edges. Slightly rubbed at the head and with a little staining to the upper board. This example is number 98 of 265 copies. This is a study of the Talmud by Deutch who came from Berlin, but worked in the department of oriental manuscripts at the British Museum.